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April 2017

April 18, 2017

Wow, if you'd have told me at the beginning of 2016 that Renee Foose would've outlasted her fellow class of 2012 appointee to a local Superintendent of Schools position in the Baltimore area, I'd have called you "positively milky in your filbert." But looky here! It's true, it's true!

I wonder what this "next chapter of life" thing is that Dr. Dance is looking towards? From what I understand, Dance wasn't great, but he wasn't horrible. I know that a lot-- too many-- of Baltimore County's public schools don't have or have inadequate air conditioning. And if that happened in the HoCo then Brendan and Alana in their $800,000 McMansions would be having conniption fits, lest little Logan and Brindle suffer the indignity of a bead of sweat from their brows.

And I like in the TV story how Dance mentions that he's received several job offers. Wait....OFFERS? Meaning people actually want to hire him to come work for them? What a concept! And leads the mind to race to the place where it wonders who would be out there recruiting Renee Foose to come work for them. Is "Tales From the Darkside" looking a new Cryptkeeper?

Incidentally, have you seen our Superintendent of Schools' behavior in the video of the most recent meeting between the Board of Education and County Council? More reason to be oh, so proud this person leads our local schools. More reason why Howard County is quickly becoming East Podonk.

Oh, but that's a future post. Let me leave that in the bag.

For now, know this. You need to be attending or tuned in to Wednesday night's Howard County Council meeting. Why? Because the agenda is INTENSE, that's why!

Listen to all the entertainment you will receive! The County Executive presenting his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2018! The County Executive announces an order in which the pork rind will become the County's official snack! Testimony on Council Bill 30, authored by Councilmembers Weinstein and Terrasa, which codifies 2016's Question A which establishes a public finance system for County Council and County Executive races in Howard County. This is a thing I support and you should too!

And there's more! The tabled Council Resolution 1, aka the legislation to close Howard County's Route 66, Winter Thicket Road! I've spent weeks assessing the climate of the Winter Thicketers regarding this controversial closure, and let me tell you this: it's clammy, baby. Clammy. Seriously, though. Did you ever think we would see a day in Howard County when Winter Thicket Road would be considered for closure? Me neither.

(Incidentally, one thing in the two above paragraphs will not actually happen Wednesday night.)

Anyway, the hearing should provide fun and adventure for all, and you'd be an ignoramus not to be part of the action!

April 16, 2017

As we're all jumping up and down like a bunch of extras out of "28 Days Later", or like the members of the CA Board of Directors when it's tapioca pudding night at the Board meeting, over the imminent 50th anniversary festivities for Columbia, it's fair to begin to have the conversation of what Columbia will look like when it his it's next great milestone. Which will be, what, 100? 75? 60? 51? At any rate, as much as Columbia beats its collective community chest over it's past, it needs to expend at least twice as much energy looking towards it's future. And tonight I offer two glimpses of that future. One a future certain; the other, not so much.

I am attending, and you should also attend, the opening of the Chrysalis Amphitheatre this coming Saturday. You can learn much, much more about it here. The Inner Arbor development is only the most independent, forward-thinking development to come to Columbia's downtown since, say, when the first expansion to Columbia Mall-- yes, the Sears wing-- was built. The opening of the Chrysalis (dare I say, the emergence from the Chrysalis?) will be something you can tell your kids about in a decade or so, when the entire Inner Arbor development is finished. You need to be there. So RSVP now!

The second thing-- funny I mention Sears. I've heard rumors that the Sears store is closing and that some entertainment venue, like a Dave and Buster's, is coming to the Mall? Is that true? Whether it is or not, it would seem evident that with the continuing redevelopment downtown, and especially with the establishment of retail space in the Crescent property, that the Mall is going to have to reinvent itself a little bit.

Enter, then-- this article. Now, the Columbia Mall is far from a dying suburban shopping mall. But, what does the future hold? Let's say, for example, that some of the anchors-- like a Macy's, Sears, Lord and Taylor, and/or JC Penney-- close. Let's say also, that some of the more lucrative, money-making stores at the Mall-- Apple Store, anyone?-- love to greener pastures, such as those in the Crescent? Now you have a mall in trouble. Now you have a Mall that's drifting.

And what rights that ship? Would Whole foods move across the street? If so, what then comes of the new space? Could a Trader Joe's open downtown? Possible, though definitely not a 1:1 tradeoff in terms of space. What about a grocer that doesn't currently exist in the county, or even in Maryland? A Dean & DeLuca? No idea. But no doubt some creative thinking would have to happen if the Mall were to suffer a retail exodus.

Of course, there is one other alternative-- the Mall could downsize or convert to mixed use. We've seen the Mall reconfigure itself once already this decade. What if one of it's wings-- say, the Sears wing from the food court to the current Sears store-- was removed? C'mon, the Starbucks and the carousel could be moved. Doing that could create more parking for-- what? Well, the construction of another Metropolitan directly across the street from the original is what! Another several hundred apartments and another couple thousand residents paying taxes.

We saw in the recent downtown redevelopment debate how fluid and changeable the face of downtown Columbia still is and still can be. In considering Columbia's future, it seems reasonable then to consider a number of possibilities. Even possibilities we may not like.

April 09, 2017

I love my neighbors who live at the corner opposite me on Stevens Forest Road, and I've never even met them. OK, that might sound creepy. But hear me out. This is a young family, a local firefighter (I think a Montgomery County firefighter), his wife, young boy, and a couple dogs. And they have done so much with their house in the year plus a few months they've owned it. Built a nice split rail fence for the dog and child (children?). They rebuilt the deck. Cut down a tree. Put up a swing set and play house and storage shed. They have a nice grill and fire pit in the middle of their yard. I love it all. This is a young family who has come to Columbia and are using their home and enjoying life. Exactly what we need to celebrate here and we need so much more of it.

And probably, if I wanted to, which I don't, I could pick out at least a half dozen covenant violations in their yard. Which is a damn shame. But also illustrative of what Columbia is at 50. Holding its age well, but yet, it's age, and attachment to things of the past, and lack of ability to adapt, is hindering it's ability to progress and realize the potential before it at this point in its history.

And so it's (BTW, are you liking my usage of "its" and "it's"? I know you are.) within this context that I received my annual ballot for this year's village elections. Specfically, the ballot for my home village of Oakland Mills.

Here's the best thing I can say about my village board this past year: they didn't make anything worse. That much I can say. And they did follow through on the last thing I pushed for when I was on the village board, which was the feasibility study for the would-be sports facility in Oakland Mills. Not sure that study went in the direction and scope that I'd have envisioned, but that's not something I'm going to hold anyone accountable for other than myself, since I didn't stick around for it.

Nevertheless, I remain concerned and disturbed that, although I'm glad to see a contested election in my village, we seem to continue to fail to attract new candidates for office. On the OM ballot, there's one new face, a fellow named Phil Anderson. I believe I remember Phil from his time as a Scoutmaster in the village and his signs are on the yards of several people in the village whose opinion and advice I respect. So I'm going to take a flyer and cast a ballot for this guy.

I'm also going to vote for Jonathan Edelson and his wife Jill. I got to know Jon on Tour of Duty III on the village board and know him to be a thoughtful, responsible member of the community and possessive of the patience and tolerance of a saint. I don't know Jill as well but in the few times I have met her I have been impressed with her enthusiasm and energy and her (and Jon's) connection to younger families in Oakland Mills. My kids are grown and I don't know couples in their 20s and 30s and what motivates them. The Edelsons do and so their presence is needed to advocate for things that will grow this demographic in our community.

I'm also strongly leading casting a ballot for Lynn-Steven Engelke. I've known Lynn and Phil Engelke since Tour of Duty I on the village board that started back in 2002. They're community stalwarts and have the design and "big picture" vision needed in our village to achieve good things.

What about the rest of the candidates? How about the candidate for CA Board/Columbia Council Rep? OK, so this. I just told you who I'm going to even consider voting for. The others aren't worthy of your consideration. Disagree with me if you want, but I won't be changing my mind. The remainder of the ballot is filled with the same folks who have practiced division and exclusion in Oakland Mills for about five years now. And yes, a couple of those folks have actually done some things that indicate steps in the right direction, I will grant that. But not enough to change my view.

Village election ballots should have arrived in mailboxes across Columbia by now. I urge everyone to choose wisely. Study the candidates and find out about their backgrounds, points of view, and priorities should they achieve office.

Whether village boards have any authority anymore in Columbia is highly debatable. But I do believe that a good village board can serve as an effective advocate and supporter for its community. On the other hand, one that's perceived as being too negative and critical-- that type of board is not perceived by local powers that be as a community helper. A bad village board can, and does, give people a negative view of the community in allegedly represents. So, like I said-- choose wisely.

April 04, 2017

Tonight I had the special opportunity to observe a political movement at what I believe to be the point just before it reaches critical mass and impacts the politics of a locality in a profound way. I attended the annual Emerge Maryland fundraiser at the home of Interim Maryland Democratic Chair Kathleen Matthews.

There were about 175 people in attendance--maybe about 30 to 40 familiar ones to Maryland politics, from elected officials and 2018 candidates such as Congressmen John Sarbanes and Jamie Raskin, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, and former Governor Parris Glendening, to several longstanding Democratic activists and supporters. But the exciting thing was the 135 to 145 new faces, including Emerge Maryland alumnae and supporters. It was especially refreshing to meet a person for the first time, and see the energy in their eyes as they shake your hand and say, "Hi, great to meet you. My name is X, I'm from Y, and I'm running for Z".

Oh, yes, there are going to be strong Democrats running for office in 2018. In fact, some are even running in 2017. And they happen to be women.

And that's the message I heard tonight during the speeches at tonight's event, as befit any other political fundraiser. To call Emerge Maryland a "women's movement" is, I think, not giving it nearly enough credit. What it is, in my opinion, is a training ground for citizens to become outstanding candidates for office. It just so happens that these citizens are women. By the same token, women in attendance this evening were white, black, Hispanic, Asian, multiracial, straight, gay, young, old, and from every corner of the state. One could not hope for a more diverse crowd, yet the crowd's diversity was not the thing. The singleness of purpose and mutual support in the crown-- those were the things.

About 25 years ago, I recall younger voters-- people my age-- feeling disenfranchised and alienated politically. Instead of becoming apathetic, we found causes and campaigns worth believing in, beginning with a Democratic candidate for President in 1992 and eventually filtering down over the next decade and a half to candidates for local and state offices, and again, eventually, back to a Democratic candidate for President.

The energy and enthusiasm and the feeling of not knowing what's next, but knowing it's going to be cool-- I haven't felt that since the early 90s often, but when I do, it feels really good and it winds up being the feeling of being part of something transformational.

That's how I felt tonight. I felt more than energy and enthusiasm. I felt like these people have purpose and training and intent and tools and that they are in the process of putting those things to the test. And I think that between this year and next, there will be dozens of these outstanding women seeking office in their local jurisdictions. Not all of them will be successful, of course. But the ones who aren't successful-- I doubt they will be easily deterred. And the ones who will be successful in their quest for office? They're going to be amazing.